Chronology May 16, 1977-August 15, 1977

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Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Autumn, 1977), pp. 469-482
Published by: Middle East Institute
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4325678 .
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 CHRONOLOGY
May 16, 1977-August 15, 1977
ArabIsraeliConflict
(See also, General, Lebanon)
1977
May 16. Jewish Defense League leader Rabbi Meir
Kahane and 9 followers were detained by Israeli
security forces when they tried to lay the foundation
stone for a Jewish settlement outside Nablus. [NYTI
May 19: Israeli Likud Bloc leader Menahem Begin
visited the Jewish settlement of Camp Kaddum in
the West Bank and referred to the West Bank as
"liberated" territory. [JPJ
May 24: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Fahd met with US
President Jimmy Carter in Washington on the Middle
East situation. [NYT]
Syria agreed to a 6 month extension of the
mandate of the UN buffer force between Israeli
and Syrian troops. [NYT]
The Israeli Likud Bloc circulated a statement
which pledged not to impose Israeli jurisdiction in
the West Bank and Gaza "so long as there are
negotiations with the aim of achi ving peace between
us and the Arabs." [NYT)
May 25: US President Carter met with Saudi Arabian
Crown Prince Fahd and later said he had been as-
sured there was "no threat of an oil embargo"
against the US to force concessions from Israel.
[NYT}
Israel accused Egypt of deploying ground to air
missiles near the Suez Canal in violation of the
Israeli-Egyptian interim accord of 1975. [NYT)
May 26: Carter said that among the "binding policies"
of the US government were included "the right of the
Palestinians to have a homeland, to be compen-
sated for losses that they have suffered," the with-
drawal of Israel from territories occupied in the 1967
war and "an end of belligerency and a re-establish-
ment of permanent and secure borders." [NYTI
A 109 nation Geneva conference approved a rule of
List of Abbreviations
CSM, The Christian ScienceMonitor; FBIS, Foreign BroadcastInformation ServiceDaily Report-Middle East and
North Africa; JP, The Jerusalem Post; MEED, Middle East EconomicDigest; MEES, Middle East EconomicSurvey;
NYT, The New York Times; TDN, Turkish Daily News; WP, The Washington Post.
469
war which gave underground and other guerrilla forces
operating inside enemy occupied territory the right to
be treated as prisoners of war when captured. Israel
opposed the rule. [NYTI
May 28: A bomb exploded in the Old City of
Jerusalem, injuring 5 people. [NYT]
Israeli Ambassador to the US Simcha Dinitz met
with US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance to discuss
questions arising out of recent statements by Carter
on the Middle East. [NYT)
May 31: Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon met with
US Ambassador to Israel Samuel Lewis in Jerusalem
and asked him to convey Israel's concern about
Carter's statements concerning a Palestinian "home-
land" and "compensation" to Palestinians. [NYTJ
June 3: Israel accused Egypt of deploying additional
missiles near the Suez Canal in violation of the interim
accord of 1975. [NYT]
June 5: Arab merchants in Nablus, Hebron and Ramal-
lah closed their stores to protest the Israeli occupation
of the West Bank 10 years before. Merchants in other
West Bank towns did not participate in the protest.
[NYT]
June 9: American and Arab representatives at the
annual conference of the International Labor Or-
ganization (ILO) reached a compromise entrusting the
ILO's Director General with the investigation of
conditions of Arab workers in Israeli occupied ter-
ritories. [NYT}
June 16: An African sponsored meeting concerning
South Africa was held at the UN. The US walked out
to protest Israel's exclusion from the meeting. [NYT]
June 17: US Vice President Walter Mondale said
Israel should not be asked to withdraw from oc-
cupied Arab territory unless it could obtain "real
peace" but added that Israel's security would be
enhanced if it agreed as part of a settlement to
return to "approximately" the pre 1967 borders
shielded by special "security lines." [NYT]
June 19: The Sunday Times of London published al-
legations of Israeli mistreatment and torture of Arab
prisoners from the West Bank and Gaza. [NYT]
470 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
June 20: A procedural device was used at the ILO
annual conference to prevent the adoption of a com-
mittee report that would have referred the issue of
Israel's treatment of Arab workers in occupied ter-
ritories to an independent group of legal experts.
[NYT)
June 22: The New York Times reported that the US
Defense Department, citing "security reasons," had
rejected a proposal for Israel to co-produce a military
communications system with the US. [NYTI
June 25: An Egyptian military court sentenced an
Egyptian to death on charges of spying for Israel.
[NYT]
June 27: A State Department spokesman delivered a
US policy statement which said that Israel should
agree to withdraw from occupied territories on all
fronts in return for Arab agreement to a durable
peace. [NYTI
US Senator Jacob Javits criticized Carter's Middle
East policies and said that there was an "imbalance
in what the Israelis and the Arabs were being called
on to do," with too many concessions being demanded
of Israel. [NYT)
June 28: An Israeli spokesman said there was "no
foundation for the assumption implied" by the US
that Israel excluded "any territories whatsoever"
from negotiations with the Arabs. [NYT]
June 29: An Egyptian student was sentenced to 10 years
hard labor on charges of spying for Israel. [NYT)
A letter was sent by 9 US Senators to Carter
offering support in his efforts to arrange a Middle
East settlement. [NYTI
The European Economic Community (EEC) issued
a statement calling on all parties to "refrain from
statements or policies which could constitute an
obstacle to the pursuit of peace" and said a peace
settlement should be based on "the need for Israel to
end the territorial occupation" maintained since
1967. [MEES]
July 6: Three Arabs and 2 West Germans went on trial
in Israel before a secret military court, accused of
conspiring to shoot down an Israeli airliner in Kenya
in 1976. Israel had held the 5 in secret since they
had been turned over by Kenya in January 1976.
[NYTI
A pipe bomb exploded at an open air market in
a Tel Aviv suburb, killing 1 person and injuring
20. [NYTI
July 9: UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim met
with Pope Paul VI in the Vatican on the situation
in the Middle East. [NYT)
July 10: Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Jor-
danian King Husayn agreed in Alexandria to secure a
Palestinian role in Middle East peace talks by
establishing an "explicit link between Jordan and the
Palestinians." [NYT)
July 12: Carter disclosed that Egyptian President
Sadat was withdrawing "extra" troops from Sinai
in response to Israeli protests. [NYT)
July 14: The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine said that some of its military commanders
had been arrested in Jordan while on their way to the
Israeli occupied West Bank for underground oper-
ations. [NYT)
July 18: Al Ahram published an interview with Sadat
in which he said that Egyptian Jews who had left the
country since 1948 might return as full citizens to
Egypt. [NYTI
July 19: Egypt transferred to Israel 19 coffins said to
contain the bodies of soldiers killed in the October
1973 war. [NYT3
Carter and Israeli Premier Menahem Begin began
talks in Washington on the Middle East situation.
[NYT}
July 20: Israeli Premier Begin held a news con-
ference in which he outlined his proposals for
peace. He said no prior conditions should be per-
mitted for any party to a Geneva conference and
refused to accept the participation of the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO). [NYTI
Carter and Begin held a second day of talks. Carter
indicated he believed the talks had laid the ground-
work "that will lead to the Geneva conference in
October." [NYT]
July 22: The PLO observer at the UN said that Israel's
refusal to allow the PLO to be a "main party" at
Geneva amounted to a precondition to holding the
conference. [NYT)
Begin urged UN Secretary General Waldheim to
try to arrange the departure of about 800 Jewish
families from Syria. [NYT]
The UN Economic and Social Council voted 27 to
11 to admit the PLO into its Economic Commission
for Western Asia as a full member. [NYT]
July 26: Begin gave official approval to 3 Israeli settle-
ments on the West Bank, including Camp Kadum,
near Nablus. [NYT}
The US State Department said the US was "deeply
disappointed" by the decision to give official ap-
proval to the Israeli settlements and said it created
"an obstacle to the peacemaking process." [NYT}
July 28: Carter said the Israeli action to legalize the
settlements was an obstacle to peace although it was
"not an insurmountable problem." [NYT]
A bomb exploded in a Tel Aviv outdoor market,
injuring 9 people. A second bomb went off in
Jerusalem, injuring 2. [NYT]
July 29: A bomb exploded in a vegetable market in
Beersheba, injuring 29 people. [NYT]
Israeli State Attorney Gabriel Bach said author-
ities had uncovered Arab terrorist activity in the
prison at Nablus. [NYT]
State Attorney Bach said charges had been filed
against 10 Israeli military reservists in connection
with the fatal beating of an Arab during an Arab
demonstration the year before. [NYT]
Israeli Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur charged that
Iraq was developing nuclear weapons with the as-
sistance of France. [NYT]
 CHRONOLOGY
July 31: Sadat said that "alternatives"could be found to
having the PLO at Geneva "if Israel really intends to
establish peace." [NYT)
Aug. 1: US Secretary of State Vance met with
Sadat in Egypt on the start of a Middle East
tour. [NYT}
The US Civil Aeronautics Board rejected an appli-
cation by El Al Airlines of Israel to run charter
flights to Atarot Airport in Jerusalem. [NYT}
Aug. 2: Vance met with Sadat in Alexandria and said he
had accepted a proposal by Sadat that Arab and
Israeli Foreign Ministers should meet in the US in a
"working group" to discuss procedural matters prior
to the convening of a Geneva peace conference.
[NYT]
Aug. 3: After a stopover in Beirut for talks with
Lebanese leaders, Vance arrived in Damascus. [NYT]
Begin endorsed the Egyptian proposal that Arab
and Israeli Foreign Ministers meet in the US. [NYT]
Aug. 4: Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad met with Vance
in Damascus and rejected the Egyptian proposal for
preliminary talks. [NYT]
Israeli forces killed 3 Arab guerrillas and took 2
prisoner in a clash in the Jordan valley. [NYT]
Aug. 5: Vance and Jordanian King Husayn held talks in
Amman. [NYT]
Aug. 7: On a visit to the occupied Jawlan region,
Begin called on Jordan and Syria to reconsider their
rejection of the Egyptian proposal. [NYT]
Vance arrived in Ta'if for talks with Saudi Arabian
leaders. [NYT]
Aug. 8: Vance said that Saudi Arabian officials had
advised him to expect an imminent change in the PLO
attitude toward UN Security Council Resolution 242.
[NYT]
A PLO spokesman said the PLO would be prepared
to participate in negotiations on the basis of
Resolution 242 if it were modified to recognize a
Palestinian national entity. [NYT]
Aug. 9: Israeli leaders told Vance that they remained
opposed to giving up territory on the West Bank, to
the creation of a Palestinian homeland or to any PLO
participation in peace negotiations. [NYT]
Aug. 100: Vance ended 2 days of talks in Jerusalem
and later said that if the PLO accepted UN Security
Council Resolution 242 he would meet with the PLO
representative at the UN the following month. [NYT]
Vance met with West Bank public figures and told
them the US favored a transition period under US
trusteeship as a solution of the issue of a Palestinian
homeland. [NYTJ
Aug. 12. Syrian President Asad said there would be no
direct or indirect meetings between the Syrian
Foreign Minister and Israel officials at the UN.
[NYT}
Aug. 14: Israel announced it would extend govern-
ment services to inhabitants of the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip and to grant them "equal rights" to
those enjoyed by Israeli residents. [NYT]
471
General
1977
May 16: US Senate and House of Representatives
conferees reached agreement on the compromise text
of an anti boycott bill passed in differing versions
by both houses. [NYT)
May 18: Mauritanian Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs Hamdi Ould Moukness sent messages to the
Secretaries General of the Organization of African
Unity, the Arab League and the UN asking inter-
vention against Algeria so that an end would be put
to Algerian "repeated attacks against the territories
of its neighbors." [FBIS)
May 23: The Turkish Daily News reported that the
Polisario Front had acknowledged it was holding 6
French technicians captured in an attack on Zouerate,
Mauritania. A Polisario spokesman said the 6 were
regarded as "mercenaries" and were therefore
prisoners of war. [TDNJ
French Foreign Minister Louis de Guiringaud pro-
tested the Polisario action. [NYT]
June 5: The Polisario Front said it had occupied the
Bou Craa phosphate mines in Western Sahara for 3
hours. [NYT)
June 7: The French Parliament passed an anti-boycott
law prohibiting state agencies from participating
in economic discrimination for ethnic, religious or
racial reasons. A clause in the law allowed the
government to suspend enforcement in exceptional
cases involving commercial relations abroad. [NYT]
June 8: The opening session of a conference of Arab
boycott offices began in Alexandria, Egypt. [MEES]
June 9: The Arab boycott conference banned the inter-
national Masonic movement because it planned to
hold a conference in Israel. [NYTI
June 19: Boycott officials said that General Motors
Corporation and Westinghouse Electric Company had
been "cleared" after submitting proof they had no
dealings with Israel. [NYT}
June 20: Arab boycott officials ended their conference
in Alexandria. Twelve companies, 5 of which were
American, were added to the boycott list. [NYT)
June 22: US President Jimmy Carter signed the anti
boycott bill into law. [NYT]
June 24: Barclay's Bank, Ltd. termed Arab reports that
it had ended its interest in the Israel Discount
Bank in order to get its name removed from the
Arab boycott list "totally untrue and without founda-
tion." [NYT]
July 3: Polisario Front guerrillas attacked Nouakchott,
the capital of Mauritania, with mortars and automatic
weapons. [NYT]
July 7: Gunmen wounded the Mauritanian Ambas-
sador to France in Paris. The Polisario Front denied
responsibility for the attack. [NYTJ
July 8. Mauritanian Foreign Minister Hamdi Ould
Mouknass accused Algeria of organizing the assas-
472 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
sination attempt on the Mauritanian Ambassador.
[NYTI
July 22: Middle East Economic Digest reported that
Morocco had flown 600 troops to Zouerate,
Mauritania, after the town was attacked on July 16.
[MEED]
July 24: French Premier Raymond Barre issued a
directive that suspended application of the anti boy-
cott law with respect to certain state agencies.
[NYTIJ
Petroleum Affairs
1977
May 20: Indonesia said that after consultations with
other Organization of Petroleum Exporting Coun-
tries (OPEC) members it had decided to forego a
5% crude oil price increase scheduled for July 1.
[MEES}
May 24: Kuwayti Oil Minister 'Abd al-Muttalib al-
Kazimi said that the Indonesian announcement
unilaterally to drop the oil price increase had resulted
from a misunderstanding. [MEES]
June 29: OPEC announced that 9 member countries
had resolved to forego application of the scheduled
5% increase in oil prices on July 1. [MEES]
July 3: Saudi Arabia and the UAA said they would
align their marker crude price with that of the other
OPEC countries, effective July 1. [MEES]
July 5: The Iraq press agency reported that Iraq had
decided to forego a scheduled 5% increase in the
price of crude oil. [NYTI
July 12: A Ministerial Meeting of OPEC opened in
Stockholm, Sweden. [MEES]
Saudi Arabian Petroleum Minister Shaykh Ahmad
Zaki Yamani and Iranian Interior Minister Jam-
shid-i Amuzgar, called for an oil price freeze in 1978.
[NYTI
Afghanistan
1977
May 18: Economic talks between Afghanistan and
West Germany began in Kabul. [FBIS]
May 27: The Afghan Minister of Planning arrived in
Tehran to participate in the Iranian-Afghanministerial
commission. [FBIS]
June 9: Minister of Communications Abdul Karim
Atayee returned to Kabul from a visit to the USSR.
[FBIS]
June 22: Pakistani Premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto arrived
in Kabul for talks with President Mohammad Daud.
[FBIS}
July 29: Afghanistan and the USSR concluded a 6 year
consumer goods agreement in Kabul. [FBIS]
Algeria
(Seealso,General, Libya)
1977
June 21: The official press agency reported that 6
Frenchmen convicted of economic crimes had been
pardoned by President Houari Boumedienne.
[NYT]
July 23: Maltese Minister of Justice Joseph Cassar
arrived in Algiers for talks with Algerian leaders.
[MEED]
Aug. 8: Cuban Vice President Raul Castro Ruz arrived
in Algiers for talks. [MEED]
Bahrayn
(See also, United Arab Amirates)
1977
May 19: Housing Minister Shaykh Khalid bin 'Abdal-
lIh Al Khalifah left Manama for South Korea for a 4
day visit. [FBIS]
June 21: Libyan Foreign Secretary 'All 'Abd al-
Salim al-Turayki arrived in Manama from Abiu
Dhabi for talks with Bahrayni leaders. [FBIS]
June 29: The government announced that an agreement
giving US naval vessels base rights at the port of
Jufayir would be terminated on July 1. [NYT]
July 19: Jordanian King Hlusaynmet with Ruler Shaykh
'Isa bin Salman Al Khallfah in Manama. [FBISJ
Cyprus
1977
May 20: Turkish and Greek Cypriot negotiators met in
Nicosia for a "general discussion." [MEED]
May 27. Intercommunal talks in Nicosia were ad-
journed indefinitely. [MEED]
June 3: Intercommonal talks resumed in Nicosia.
[MEED}
June 16: President Archbishop Makarios arrived in
Athens for talks with Greek leaders on the situation
in Cyprus. [NYT]
June 21: Two Greek Cypriots convicted of charges
connected with the assassination of US Ambassador
Roger Davies in 1974, were sentenced. [WP]
July 7: A new Cabinet of the self-declared "Turkish
Federated State of Cyprus" was formed:
Necat Konuk: Premier
Vedat Qelik: Defenseand ForeignAffairs
Orhan Zihni Belgehan: Interior
 CHRONOLOGY
Erol Kazim Andac: Communications& Public Works
Ali Atun: Health
Mustafa 1;akatay:Labor & Social Insurance
Hakki Atun: Housing & Rehabilitation
Ihsan Kudiik: Agriculture, Natural Resources& Power
Kenan Atakol: Culture, Education & Training
Recep Ali Gurler: Commerce,Industry & Tourism
Tansel Fikri: Finance [MEEDI
Aug. 3: President Archbishop Makarios died of a heart
attack, aged 63. [NYT]
The government announced that Spyros Kyprianou,
President of the House of Representatives, would be
Acting President until presidential elections would be
held in February 1978. [NYT]
Aug. 4: Greek Cypriot leaders met to discuss pro-
cedures for choosing a new President. [NYT)
Aug. 8: Archbishop Makarios was buried at the Kykko
Monastery in the Troodos Mountains. [NYT]
Aug. 10: Lefteris Papadopoulos, a leader of the Eoka-B
underground, was sentenced to life imprisonment for
his part in a coup in 1974. [JPJ
Aug. 13: The 4 main Greek Cypriot parties chose Acting
President Spyros Kyprianou as their candidate to
succeed Archbishop Makarios as President. [NYT]
Egypt
(See also, Arab Israeli Conflict, General, Libya,
Morocco, Saudi Arabia)
1977
May 16: Omani Sultan Qabas bin Sa'id arrived in
Cairo for a 3 day state visit. [MEED]
May 17: Former Libyan Premier 'Abd al-Hamld al-
Bakush arrived in Cairo and officials said he had been
granted political asylum. [NYTI
May 20: President Anwar al-Sadat met with Sudanese
President Ja'far al-Numayri in Alexandria. [MEED)
June 8: Foreign Minister Isma'il Fahmi arrived in
Moscow for talks and was met by Soviet Foreign
Minister Andrei Gromyko. [NYT]
June 10: Foreign Minister Fahmi met with Soviet
Communist Party leader Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow.
[NYTI
June 16: Talks were held between Yemeni Premier
'Abd al-'Aziz 'Abd al-Ghani and Premier Mamduh
Salim in Cairo. [FBIS)
June 21: Vice President Husni Mubarak arrived in Cairo
at the end of a tour of African and European
nations. [FBIS}
June 25: The government announced that it had re-
ceived a shipment of military spare parts from
China. [NYTJ
July 2: Prince Muhammad 'All Ibrahim, cousin of
ex-King Fa.ruiq,died in Paris, aged 77. [NYT)
July 3: Former Awqaf Minister Muhammad Husayn
al-Dhahabi was kidnapped by members of the
473
religious organization Jama't al-Takfir wa al-Hijrah,
who said he would be killed if 60 members of the
group were not released from jail. [NYT]
July 4: Persons claiming to represent the kidnappers
said Former Awqaf Minister Dhahabi had been slain
after a second negotiating deadline had passed.
[NYTI
July 5: Police discovered a booby trap at an apartment
that had been said to contain Dhahabi's body. [NYT]
July 6: Dhahabi was found murdered. Police arrested
3 people, 1 of whom confessed to the slaying. [NYTI
Two bombs exploded in Cairo, wounding 9 people.
[NYTI
July 7: Members of the Takfir group claimed responsi-
bility for the 2 explosions. [NYT)
July 8: The government said it had arrested Shukri
Ahmad Mustafa, the leader of the Takfir group.
[NYT)
July 11: Vice President Mubarak returned to Cairo
from Khartum where he had held talks with Sudanese
President Numayri. [FBISJ
Al Ahraim reported that 81 more members of
the Takfir group had been arrested. [NYT]
July 12: Al Ahraim reported that authorities had
broken up a cell of Takfir members within the armed
forces. [NYT)
Aug. 12: An Egyptian student hijacked a French jetliner
bound for Cairo and forced it to land in Brindisi,
Italy. [NYT]
Aug. 13: The hijacker was captured. [NYT]
Aug. 14: Middle East News Agency quoted President
Sadat as saying Egypt had decided to suspend cotton
shipments to the Soviet Union and a Soviet bloc
nation because the latter had halted shipments of
tanks to Egypt as a result of "incitements' from
the Soviet Union. [NYT)
Iran
(Seealso, Petroleum Affairs, Afghanistan,Jordan, Sudan)
1977
May 28: Foreign Minister 'Abbas 'All-i Khal'atbari
returned to Tehran following visits to Sudan and
Somalia. [FBISJ
May 31: The Regional Cooperation for Development
organization concluded a session in Mashhad. [FBIS]
June 8: The State Department denied reports that the
US had made a decision not to sell Iran 250 F-18L
fighter planes. [NYTI
June 23: Brazil and Iran signed a 5 year $6.5 billion
trade agreement calling for the exchange of Iranian
oil for Brazilian products. [NYT]
The New York Times reported that the Inter-
national League for Human Rights, a UN affiliate,
had protested to the Shah that it had evidence of
474 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
mass arrests and torture of Iraniancitizens at home and
of harassment of Iranian citizens abroad by the
secret police. [NYTJ
July 1: Senagalese President Leopold S6dar Senghor left
Tehran after a 3 day visit during which a trade agree-
ment was signed. [MEEDI
July 7: The US Defense Department notified Congress
of a proposed $1.2 billion sale of 7 radar planes to
Iran. [NYT]
July 9: An Iraqi delegation led by Interior Minister
'Izzat Ibrahim al-D:ri left Tehran at the end of a 5
day visit. [MEED]
July 17: Iran said it would sue a French company
which had contracted to put turbines for a hydro-
electric dam into operation but failed to do so,
thereby exacerbating power shortages in Iran.
[NYT]
July 26. Jordanian King H{usayn arrived in Iran and June 16: The director general of the Kurdish Cultural
met with the Shah. [FBIS]
July 28: US President Jimmy Carter agreed to with- June 22: A
draw a notification to Congress of the sale of the
radar planes to Iran and resubmit it later in the
year. [NYTI
July 31. Iran indicated it was withdrawing its request
to buy the radar planes. [NYT]
Aug. 6: Premier Amir 'Abbas-i Huvayda resigned.
[NYT]
Aug. 7. Jamshid-i Amuizgairwas named Premier. [NYT]
The members of the new Cabinet were introduced
to the Shah:
Jamshid-i Amuizgar:Premier
'Abbas 'Ali-i Khal'atbari:ForeignAffairs
&
Mihrdad-i Pahlbud: Culture Arts
Hushang-i An$ari: Economics& Finance
$afi-i A$fiyi: State for Economic & Development Af-
fairs
Muhammad Yiganah: State and Directorof the Plan &
Budget Organization
Riza-i 'Azimi: War
Qasim-i Mu'Ini: Labor& Social Services
Manuichihr-iGanji: Education & Training
GhuliamRi7a Khiyinpdr:Justice
Mahnaz Afkhami: State for Women'sAffairs
Shuji' al-Din-i Shaykhalisliamzadah:Health & Welfare
Karim-i Mu'tamidi: Post, Telegraph& Telephone
Nasir IEfahini:Interior
Murtaza $ilihi: Roads & Communications
Mahmuid-iKashifi: State for ParliamentaryAffairs
Manuchihr-i Agih: State for ExecutiveAffairs
Ahmad 'Ali Ahmadi: Agriculture& Rural Development
Taqi Tawakkuli: Energy
Firaz Tawfiq: Housing & Urban Development
Muhammad Rizi-i Amin: Industries & Mines
Diryuish Humiyiun: Information& Tourism
Kizim Khusrawshihi: Commerce{FBIS]
Iraq
(See also, Petroleum Affairs, Iran, Kuwayt, South
Yemen, Syria, Turkey, Yemen)
1977
May 16: US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Habib
met with Foreign Minister Sa'duin Hammadi in
Baghdad. [FBIS)
May 17: Tunisia and Iraq signed an agreement in
Baghdad on economic, trade and technical co-
operation. [FBIS3
May 31: President Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr met with
Czechoslovak President Gustav Husak in Baghdad.
[FBIS]
Foundation was assassinated. [MEED)
Presidential decree appointed 'Aziz Rashid
'Aqrawi Minister of Transport. [FBIS]
Vice President Taha Muhyl al-Din Ma'riufreturned
to Baghdad at the end of a tour of Yemen,
Somalia and South Yemen. [FBIS]
June 26. French Premier Raymond Barre left Baghdad
at the end of 2 days of talks with Iraqi leaders.
[NYT]
July 2: South Yemeni Premier 'Ali Ni$ir Muhammad
arrived in Baghdad on a 3 day visit to Iraq. [FBIS]
July 3: Talks between Kuwayti Interior and Defense
Minister Shaykh Sa'd al-'Abdallah al-Salim Al $ab:h
and Vice Chairman of the Revolution Command
Council $addam Husayn ended in Baghdad. It was
agreed to set up a joint committee to work out a
settlement. IMEEDI
July 4: Yemeni Premier 'Abd al-'Aziz 'Abd al-Ghani
met with President Bakr in Baghdad. [MEED]
July 20: Iraqi and Kuwayti troops began to withdraw
from frontier positions as a result of a disengage-
ment agreement reached the week before. [MEED]
Israel
(See also, Arab Israeli Conflict, General,
Lebanon, Morocco)
1977
May 17: Voters went to the polls in national elections.
[NYT)
May 18: The Likud Bloc emerged as the dominant
party in the elections. [NYT]
May 19: Acting Premier Shimon Peres rejected a Likud
Bloc invitation for the Labor Party to join a co-
alition government. [NYT]
May 20: Premier Yitzhak Rabin indicated he would end
his leave of absence and resume his duties in the
Cabinet. [JP]
May 23: Likud leader Menahem Begin was taken to a
hospital suffering from chest pains. [NYT]
 CHRONOLOGY
May 24: Premier Rabin resumed his duties in the
Cabinet. [JPJ
Coalition negotiations between the Likud Bloc and
the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC) began.
liJP
May 25: The pound was devalued by 1.9%. [JPJ
The Likud Bloc announced that Former Defense
Minister Moshe Dayan had agreed in principle to
accept the post of Foreign Minister in a Likud led
government. [JPJ
May 26: The Likud Bloc decided to reconsider the
appointment of former Defense Minister Dayan as
Foreign Minister. [JP}
May 27: Dayan resigned from the Labor Party but
retained his seat in the Knesset. [NYT]
May 30: The Shlomzion Party of Ariel Sharon joined
the Likud faction in the Knesset. [JP)
June 7: President Ephraim Katzir invited Likud Bloc
leader Begin to form a new government. Begin called
again for a coalition government that would include
the Labor Party. [NYTI
June 8: The Agudat Israel Party agreed to support
Begin in Parliament, pending approval by the Coun-
cil of Torah Sages. [NYT}
June 9: The Council of Torah Sages approved the
decision of the Agudat Israel Party to support
Begin in Parliament but opposed Party participation
in the Cabinet. [NYT]
June 10: Begin met with DMC leader Yigael Yadin on
the possibility of forming a coalition. [NYT]
June 13: The new Knesset was inducted. Yitzhak
Shamir, the Likud candidate, was elected Speaker.
[NYT}
The DMC voted to break off negotiations with
the Likud. [NYT]
June 15: The Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Shlomo
Goren, met with US President Jimmy Carter in
Washington. [NYT]
June 19: Israel cancelled the official visit to Tel Aviv
of a Chilean navy training vessel because it had
served as a political prison. [NYT]
June 21: The Knesset voted 63 to 53 to accept a
coalition government:
Menahem Begin: Premier
Simha Ehrlich: Finance
Ezer Weizman: Defense
Moshe Dayan: ForeignAffairs
Yosef Burg: Interior
Yigal Horowitz: Industry & Commerce
Ariel Sharon: Agriculture
Zevulun Hammer: Education & Culture
Gideon Patt: Construction& the Environment
Yitzhak Moda'i: Energy & Infrastructure
Aharon Abu-hatzeira: Religious Affairs
David Levi: Absorption
Eliezer Shostak: Health UP]
Begin said Israel would offer asylum to 66
Vietnamese refugees. [NYT}
Israelis voted to fill leadership positions in the
Histadrut. [NYT]
June 22. The Labor Party retained its control of the
Histadrut in the elections. [NYT}
475
June 26: The Vietnamese refugees arrived in Israel.
[NYTI
June 29: Police opened an investigation into black market
advance sales of copies of national high school
exams. [NYT]
July 2: A man was killed in Bnei Brak when the
landrover he was in crashed through a chain set up by
the municipality to block road travel on the Sabbath.
[JP}
July 6: The US State Department said a decision to
block a sale of Israeli jets equipped with US engines
to Ecuador remained unchanged. [NYT)
Attorney General Aharon Barak said the case
against Former Foreign Minister Abba Eban for pos-
sible currency violations had been closed and criminal
charges would not be brought. [JP}
July 8; A military inquest into the helicopter crash
which killed 54 servicemen in May said the pilot had
been responsible for the crash. [NYT}
July 10: The Jerusalem Post reported that secular and
religious Jews had clashed in Bnei Brak over the
question of Sabbath travel on a Bnei Brak main
street. [JP]
July 16: Police clashed with Jewish demonstrators in
Bnei Brak during disturbances concerning the closing
of a major intersection on the Sabbath. [NYT]
July 17: Finance Minister Ehrlich announced an austerity
policy which included price increases in subsidized
basic commodities and cuts in government spending.
[NYTI
A 2% devaluation of the pound was announced.
[NYT]
July 18: Begin arrived in Washington for talks with US
President Jimmy Carter. [NYT}
The Histadrut called on all wage earners to protest
the price increases with a 1 hour work stoppage.
[NYT)
July 22: The US announced it had agreed to permit
Israel to use $107m in US military aid to produce the
Israeli Merkava tank. [NYT]
July 31: The government announced a 1.9% devalu-
ation of the pound. [NYT]
Aug. 3: The DMC decided not to join the Likud
coalition government "under the present circum-
stances." [JP]
Aug. 10: The Finance Ministry issued regulations to
banks allowing Israelis to keep 1/3 of all foreign cur-
rency they receive. [NYT]
Jordan
(See also, Arab Israeli Conflict, Bahrayn, Iran,
Saudi Arabia, Syria)
1977
May 19: Omani Sultan Qabuis bin Sa'ld arrived in
Amman on a private visit to Jordan. [FBIS]
476 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
June 30: Syrian Premier 'Abd al-Rahman Khulayfawi
arrived in Amman for talks. [FBIS]
July 20: King Husayn returned to Jordan at the end of
a tour to 4 Gulf states. [FBIS]
July 26: King Husayn left Amman on a private visit
to Iran accompanied by Premier Mudar Bedran.
[MEED)
Kuwayt
(See also, Petroleum Affairs, Iraq, Oman, South Yemen)
1977
May 16: Foreign Minister Shaykh $abah al-Ahmad al-
Jabir Al $abih returned to Kuwayt at the end of a
tour of the Far East. [FBIS]
June 10: Middle East EconomicDigest cited Information
Minister Shaykh Jabir al-'Ali al-Salim Al $abah as
saying the magazine al-Risalah had been suspended for
'criticising certain Arab countries." [MEED]
June 26: It was announced that the government had de-
cided to take over full ownership of the American
Independent Oil Company. [MEEDI
July 4: Amir Shaykh $abih al-Salim Al $abih left
Kuwayt on a private visit to London. [FBIS]
July 5. South Yemeni Premier 'Ali Nasir Muhammad
began a 3 day visit to Kuwayt. [MEEDI
July 8: Twelve hijackers seized a Kuwait Airlines jet
and forced it to land in Kuwayt to refuel. Some of
the passengers were released. [NYT)
July 10: The New York Times reported that the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had issued a
statement condemning the hijacking and disclaiming
any connection with it. It identified the leader of the
hijackers as a member of the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine, General Command.
[NYT)
The New YorkTimes cited a government spokesman
as saying the hijackers had released their hostages in
exchange for a promise of safe conduct to South
Yemen. [NYT]
The hijackers flew from Kuwayt to Damascus.
Later they surrendered to Syrian authorities. [NYTI
July 24: Kuwayt announced it was reopening its border
with Iraq. The border had been closed to Kuwayti
citizens since 1972. [NYTI
Lebanon
(See also, Arab Israeli Conflict, Saudi Arabia)
1977
May 21: Fighting that had broken out during the night
between rival Palestinian guerrilla groups at a refugee
camp near Sidon, continued during the day, leaving 10
guerrillas dead. [NYT)
May 22: Archbishop Karekin Sarkissian was elected
Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. [NYT]
May 26: The New York Times reported that Nabatiyah
had been coming under heavy shelling for the past
week from artillery reported to have been stationed
in Israel. [NYT]
May 27: Leaders of the rightist Lebanese Front an-
nounced they considered the 1969 Cairo Agreement
regulating the Palestinians in Lebanon to be null
and void and termed the Palestinian presence in
Lebanon "illegal." [NYT]
June 1: Palestinian guerrillas charged that Israeli troops
had crossed into southern Lebanon and seized a bor-
der village after a "fierce" battle. Israel denied the
charges. [NYT]
June 7: It was reported that Nabatiyah and nearby
villages had come under Israeli and Christian artillery
fire during the day. [NYTI
June 8: Syrian Foreign Minister 'Abd al-Halim Khaddam
met with President Ilyas Sarkis in Lebanon. [NYTI
June 24: Beirut money changers went on strike to
protest lack of police protection from robberies.
[NYTI
June 28: Fighting in Beirut between al-Sa'iqah and
"rejection front" Palestinian guerrillas left at least 15
people dead. [NYT}
June 30: A decree imposing restrictions on the press
was issued. [NYT]
The government decided to relinquish emergency
powers. [NYT]
July 1: Rival Christian forces clashed in Beirut. [NYT]
July 2: The Palestinian press service Wafa said that
Christian forces had captured the southern town of
Yarin but a counterattack had recaptured the town.
[NYT]
July 4: Syrian peacekeeping troops moved southward
from Beirut. [NYT]
July 5. The Phalanges Party radio The Voiceof Lebanon
said Israel was preparing for a military operation in
southern Lebanon to drive Palestinian guerrillas out
of the area. [NYT]
July 6: Artillery dueis were reported in southern
Lebanon. [NYT]
July 7: Palestinian guerrillas raided the Christian
stronghold of'Ayn Ibl. [NYT]
July 13: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid
Junblat met with Syrian President Hjfiz al-Asad in
Syria on the situation in south Lebanon. [MEED]
July 14: Al H.awidith was suspended for a week for
violating censorship regulations and criticizing the
new press law. [NYT]
July 17: Palestinian guerrillas of al-Sa'iqah fought with
rival guerrillas of the "rejection front" in Beirut.
[NYT]
July 21. Premier Salim al-Hus. asked Parliament for
special legislative powers in development, recon-
struction, security and contractual affairs. [MEED]
A tripartite Syrian-Lebanese-Palestiniancommittee
 CHRONOLOGY
met in Shturi on questions relating to the imple-
mentation of the Cairo Agreement. [FBIS)
A Palestinian spokesman said the PLO would imple-
ment a ceasefire in the south. [FBISJ
July 22: Palestinian guerrillas and Christian forces
exchanged artillery fire in southern Lebanon, breaking
the ceasefire. [NYT]
The government asked the US to apply diplomatic
pressure on Israel to help end fighting between
Palestinian and Christian forces in the south.
[NYT]
July 25: A second meeting was held in Shtura re-
garding the Cairo Agreement. It was announced
that an agreement had been reached. [FBISJ
July 27: Artillery duels in southern Lebanon broke out
during the night and continued during the day.
[NYTI
July 30: Syrian peacekeeping troops set up gun posi-
tions around Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut
under the terms of the Shtfir agreement. [NYT]
Aug. 8: Israeli Premier Menahem Begin said Israel
had been providing training, supplies and artillery
support to Christian militiamen in southern Lebanon
to prevent "genocide" by Palestinian forces. [WPJ
Aug. 10: Clashes took place in southern Lebanon
between Palestinians and Christians. [NYT)
Libya
(See also, Bahrayn, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia)
1977
May 16: The Eighth Conference of the Foreign
Ministers of Islamic States opened in Tripoli.
[FBIS]
June 12. The New York Times reported that Secre-
tary General Mu'ammar al-Qadhdh.fi had asked the
US to consent to the exchange of Ambassadors.
[NYTI
June 19: Secretary General Qadhdhafi met with Pakis-
tani Premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Tripoli. [FBIS}
June 26: Qadhdhafi ended a 4 day visit to Yugoslavia
during which he held talks with Yugoslav President
Tito. [MEED]
June 27: Libya and Ethiopia signed an economic
cooperation agreement in Addis Ababa. [MEED]
June 30: Foreign Secretary 'Abd al-Salam al-Turayki
returned to Tripoli at the end of a tour of Maghrib
countries. [FBIS]
July 9. Yemeni Command Council Chairman Ibrahim
al-Hamdi visited Libya for talks with Qadhdhafi.
[MEED]
July 19. The New York Times reported that French
Foreign Minister Louis de Guiringaud had said
French military transport planes had provided
"logistical support" earlier in the month to Chad
government forces fighting Libyan backed rebels in
Chad. [NYTI
477
July 21: Fighting broke out between Libyan and
Egyptian troops and each side termed the other the
aggressor. Egypt reported that 3 "provocative and
sabotage acts" by Libya during the month had led up
to the Libyan attack across the Egyptian border.
[NYT]
July 22: Middle East News Agency reported that
Egyptian planes had struck at a Libyan air base in
retaliation for 3 Libyan air raids against Egyptian
troops near the Egyptian town of Salum. [NYT)
Tripoli radio said defense units had shot down a
pilotless US reconnaissance aircraft on July 6 over
the border area with Egypt. [NYT)
July 23: Libya accused Egypt of conducting air raids
deep inside Libya from the port of Tobruk to the
Kufra oasis. [NYT]
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman
Yasir 'Arafat met with Egyptian War Minister 'Abd
al-Ghani al-Jamasiand 2 Libyan officers in mediation
talks in Cairo on the fighting. [NYTI
Palestinian officials reported that the mediation
meeting had led to a tentative ceasefire agreement.
[NYTI
July 24: Libya called up its military reserves. [NYT}
Algerian President Houari Boumedienne met
with Qadhdhafi in Tripoli and then flew to Cairo
for talks with Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat.
[NYTJ
Egyptian President Sadat ordered Egyptian forces
to observe an immediate ceasefire. [NYT}
July 25: Algerian President Boumedienne returned to
Tripoli from Cairo, bringing a number of Egyptian
conditions for continuation of the ceasefire. [NYT)
July 26: Sadat said the conflict with Libya was over.
[NYT]
July 29: Foreign Secretary Turayki said Libya was ready
to accept an agreement worked out by Arab medi-
ators. [NYT}
Al-Ahrdm reported that Sadat had accepted the
accord. [NYT}
Morocco
(See also, General)
1977
May 22: King Hasan said in Rabat that Moroccan
troops had completed their mission in Zaire. [MEED]
June 2: King Hasan met with Mauritanian President
Moktar Ould Daddah in Morocco. [FBIS]
June 3: Voters went to the polls to elect a Chamber of
Representatives. [NYT]
June 4: Independents won 81 and right wing parties
33 seats in the 176 seat Chamber. [NYT)
June 6: The Christian Science Monitor cited Israeli
radio as saying Shaul Ben-Shimon, a member of the
Histadrut leadership in Israel, had been visiting
478 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Morocco and was expected to talk with political
leaders there. [CSM)
June 14: Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko arrived
in Rabat for talks with King Hasan. [MEED]
June 18: Egyptian Vice President Husni Mubarak
met with King Hasan during a visit to Morocco.
[FBIS)
June 20: Premier Ahmed Osman returned to Rabat
from Nouakchott, Mauritania, after attending the first
session of the Moroccan-Mauritanian supreme de-
fense committee. [FBISI
June 24: Morocco and China signed a trade agree-
ment. [MEED)
July 5: Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat left Morocco
after a 2 day visit for talks with King Hasan.
[MEED]
July 7: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad
Laraki held talks in Paris with French Premier
Raymond Barre. [MEED]
July 18: Mauritanian Minister of State for Foreign Af-
fairs Hamdi Ould Mouknass left Rabat for Nouak-
chott after a brief visit. [FBISI
Oman
(See also, Egypt, Jordan)
1977
May 17: Sultan Qabas bin Sa'id met with Egyptian
President Anwar al-Sadat in Alexandria. [FBIS]
June 6: The Kuwayti weekly Al Yaqzah said that South
Yemeni Foreign Minister Muhammad $aidhMuti' had
paid a "secret visit" to Muscat for talks con-
cerning South Yemeni support for the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Oman. [MEED]
June 16: A decree issued by Sultan Qibiis extended
Omani fishing limits to 200 miles. [MEED]
June 17: A cyclone caused extensive damage on the
island of Masirah, leaving 98% of the buildings on
the island destroyed. [NYT]
July 11: Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Sa'iudal-
Faysal left Muscat for Riyadh at the end of a visit to
Oman. [FBIS}
Pakistan
(See also, Afghanistan, Libya, Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Amirates)
1977
May 16: Gunbattles broke out in the town of Sanghar
between police and Hur tribesmen protesting the
detention of the Pir of Pagaro, an opposition leader.
[NYTI
May 18: The Pir of Pagaro was freed from house arrest
on the third day of disorders involving his followers
in the south of Pakistan. [NYT)
June 2: The Lahore High Court ruled that martial law
was illegal under the 1973 Constitution. [NYT}
The government freed a number of opposition
leaders from detention. [NYT}
The New York Times cited "State Department
sources" as saying the administration of US President
Jimmy Carter had decided to withhold the sale of 110
A-7 attack planes to Pakistan. [NYT]
June 3: Premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto met with Pakistan
National Alliance (PNA) leaders. It was agreed that
the last 3 detained PNA leaders would be released
and press censorship would be lifted. [NYTI
June 7: In a joint statement with the opposition,
the government announced that martiallaw in Lahore,
Karachi and Hyderabad would be lifted immediately.
[NYTI
June 10: Talks between the government and the PNA
continued and some progress was reported. [NYT}
June 14: Government and opposition spokesmen said it
had been agreed to hold a new election before the
end of the year. [NYT}
June 18: Premier Bhutto left Karachi on a tour of
Middle Eastern nations. [FBIS}
June 25: The government gave the opposition proposals
for holding general elections. [NYT]
July 1: Bhutto met with leaders of the opposition.
[NYT}
July 2: Bhutto and PNA negotiators agreed on a plan
for new elections, subject to approval by the PNA
central council. [NYT]
July 4. The New York Times reported that the National
Conference Party led by Shaykh Mohammed Abdul-
lah had won elections for the State Assembly in the
Indian controlled part of Kashmir. [NYT]
July 5: The army seized power, dismissed the govern-
ment and dissolved the National Assembly, declaring
martial law. General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq became
chief martial law administrator. [NYT]
Bhutto, his Cabinet and leaders of the PNA were
taken into "temporary protective custody." [NYT]
July 8: Chief Martial Law Administrator Zia-ul-Haq said
he hoped Bhutto would run for office in future
elections. [NYT]
July 9: In Kashmir a government headed by Shaykh
Abdullah was sworn in. The National Conference
Party had won 46 of 76 seats in the State As-
sembly. [NYT]
An inquiry into the conduct of the director general
of the Federal Security Force was ordered by the
military rulers. [NYT]
July 10: Martial regulations were issued decreeing tra-
ditional Islamic punishments for certain crimes.
[NYT]
Pakistan announced it would release 200 Indian
nationals held since the 1971 war with India. [NYT]
July 28: Bhutto and 15 other political leaders were
freed from detention. [NYT]
July 29: Bhutto addressed supporters in Islamabad.
[NYTI
 CHRONOLOGY
Aug. 1: It was announced that national elections would
be held on October 18. [NYT)
Aug. 8: Police used tear gas to stop thousands of
people trying to reach Lahore airport to greet
Bhutto on his arrival. [NYTI
Aug. 10: Military authorities prevented Bhutto from
making a pilgrimage to a Muslim shrine in Lahore.
[NYT)
Aug. 14: Zia-ul-Haq announced the release within 7
days of all political prisoners arrested since January
and not facing criminal charges. [NYT)
Qatar
1977
May 16: Sudanese Premier al-Rashid al-Tahir ended a
visit to Qatar. [FBIS]
May 31: The Ruler, Shaykh Khalifah bin Hamad Al
Thini issued a decree appointing his son, Shaykh
Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thini, Crown Prince. A
second decree created a Ministry of Defense and
appointed the Crown Prince Defense Minister.
[MEES)
June 29: Troops led by Crown Prince Hamad boarded
a Gulf Air VC-10 and overpowered its armed hi-
jacker. [NYT]
Aug. 14: A power failure cut the electricity supply
throughout Qatar. [NYT]
Saudi Arabia
(See also, Arab Israeli Conflict, Petroleum Affairs,
Oman, Yemen)
1977
May 19: King Khalid opened discussions with Syrian
President Hifiz al-Asad and Egyptian President
Anwar al-Sadat in Riyadh to co6rdinate policy.
[NYTI
May 22: Crown Prince Fahd met with British Premier
James Callaghan in London to discuss bilateral
issues and the situation in the Middle East. [NYT]
May 30: Riyadh Radio reported that a government
decree had been issued giving foreign banks 1 year to
turn over majority control to Saudi nationals. [NYT}
June 4: A fire broke out in the Abqa'iq area following
the rupture of a gas pipe. The fire was extinguished.
[MEES]
June 7: Foreign Minister Prince Sa' id al-Faysal ended
a tour of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. [MEED]
June 18: King Khalid received Pakistani Premier
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Riyadh. [FBIS]
July 4: Yemeni Command Council Chairman Ibrihim
479
al-Hamdi left Riyadh at the end of a 3 day visit
to Saudi Arabia. [FBIS}
July 5: Lebanese Foreign Minister Fu'ad Butrus met with
King Khalid in Ri'asah Palace on the situation in
Lebanon. [FBIS]
July 7: Jordanian King Husayn left Jidda at the end
of a 1 day visit to Saudi Arabia. [FBIS}
July 10: President C. K. Yen of Taiwan arrived in
Saudi Arabia on a 3 day visit and met with King
Khalid. [NYT}
July 12: King Khalid met with Somali President
Mohamed Siad Barre in Jidda. [FBIS]
July 25: Prince 'Abdallah, a nephew of King Khalid,
left London for the US for heart treatment. [NYT}
July 28: The New York Times reported that an applica-
tion of Foreign Minister Prince Sa'ud to buy an apart-
ment in New York had been rejected by the build-
ing's residents. [NYT)
July 31: South Yemeni Presidential Council Chairman
Salim Rubayy' 'All arrived at Ta'if for a 3 day visit to
Saudi Arabia. [FBIS]
Aug. 2: Sudanese President Ja'far al-Numayri met with
King Khalidin Ta'if.[FBIS}
South Yemen
(See also, Iraq, Kuwayt, Oman, Saudi Arabia)
1977
June 4: Foreign Minister Muhammad $lih Muti' ar-
rived in Abui Dhabi for talks with UAA leaders.
[FBIS}
July 7: Premier 'All Na-ir Muhammad returned to
Aden after visits to Iraq and Kuwayt. [MEED]
Aug. 13: South Yemeni Presidential Council Chairman
Salim Rubayy' 'All arrived in Yemen, for talks with
Yemeni leaders. [FBIS]
Sudan
(See also, Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Amirates)
1977
May 17: President Ja1faral-Numayri charged in Paris
that peace on the Horn of Africa was threatened by
the Soviet Union, which was embarked with Cuba on
"a new form of colonialism" in Africa. [NYT)
May 18: The government expelled all Soviet military
advisors serving in Sudan and shut down the military
department of the Soviet Embassy. [NYT]
May 19: At the end of a visit to France by Presi-
dent Numayri a joint communique said African na-
tions should be allowed to settle their own problems
without outside interference. [NYT]
480 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Al $iha~fahreported that the government had asked
the Soviet Union to cut its diplomatic mission by
half. [NYTI
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Francis Deng
arrived in Somalia for talks on bilateral relations.
[MEED]
May 22: Iranian Foreign Minister 'Abbas 'All-i
Khal'atbari arrived in Khar,tm for talks on bilateral
relations. [MEEDI
May 24: Numayri met with US Ambassador to the UN
Andrew Young in Sudan and asked the US for
"defensive weapons." [NYT]
May 29: A presidential decree appointed the following
vice presidents:
Muhammad al-Baqir Ahmad (First Vice President),
Abel Alier and al-Rashid al-Tahir. [FBIS]
A presidential decree reshuffled the Cabinet of
Vice President and Premier al-Rashid al-Tahir and the
following changes occurred:
Ma'mun 'Awad Abui Zayd: Energy& Mining
'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdallah: Industry
Hasan Umar: Attorney General
BThi al-Din Muhammad Idris: PresidentialAffairs
'Umar Muhammad al-Tayyib: Chief of National
Security
Khalid al-Khayr 'Umar: State at the Presidency
Mu'awiyah Abu Bakr: State at Ministry of Con-
struction & Public Works [FBISJ
May 31: Soviet diplomats reported that the Soviet
Union had recalled its Ambassador to Sudan. [NYTJ
June 4: Yemeni Foreign Minister 'Abdallah al-Asnaj
met with Numayri in Sudan. [FBIS]
June 6: Numayri arrived in the People's Republic of
China for talks. [NYT]
June 19: The government ordered the Soviet cultural
center in Khartum to be closed. [NYT]
July 2: Numayri told the summit meeting of the
Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Gabon that
"socialist imperialism threatens to turn the African
continent into a vast area of conflict." [NYT]
July 18: Numayri announced a reconciliation between
the government and the Mahdist religious group.
[MEED]
July 27: The State Department disclosed that the US
had informed Sudan it was prepared "to contribute
Sudan's legitimate defense needs." [NYT)
Aug. 4.' A US military delegation arrived in Khart-um
for talks on supplying Sudan with military equipment.
[MEED}
Aug. 7: Numayri issued a general amnesty for all polit-
ical prisoners involved in anti-government activities
since May 1969. [MEED]
Aug. 12: French Foreign Minister Louis de Guiringaud
visited Khartuim for talks on bilateral relations.
[MEED]
Aug. 14: Numayri pardoned 30 politicians, including
former Premier $adiq al-Mahdi. [MEED}
Syria
(See also, Arab Israeli Conflict, Jordan, Kuwayt,
Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Amirates)
1977
June 13: Premier 'Abd al-Rahman Khulayfawi returned
to Damascus at the end of a 5 day visit to Yugoslavia
during which 2 agreements were signed. [FBIS]
Two Syrianswere publicly hanged after having been
convicted of belonging to an assassination squad
acting with the "instigation and financial support of
the Iraqi regime." [NYT3
June 15: Libyan Foreign Secretary 'Ali 'Abd al-Salam
al-Turayki arrived in Damascus for talks with Presi-
dent Hafiz al-Asad. [FBIS3
June 18: The commander of the army's missile corps
was assassinated in Damascus. [MEEDI
June 19: Yemeni Premier 'Abd al-'Aziz 'Abd al-Ghani
arrived in Damascus at the start of a 4 day visit.
[MEEDI
June 22: Jordanian King Ijusayn arrived in Damascus
for talks with President Asad. [MEED]
June 30: Defense Minister Mustafa Talis met with Soviet
Premier Alexei Kosygin in Moscow. [MEEDI
July 1: Foreign Minister 'Abd al-Halim Khaddam met
with French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing in
France. [MEED]
July 4. Six people were killed when a car filled with
explosives blew up near the Air Defense Command.
[NYT)
July 10: A bomb exploded opposite the headquarters
of the Ministry of Interior in Damascus, killing at
least 1 person. [NYT3
July 19. President Asad gave his consent for the proxy
marriages of 12 Syrian Jewish women to members of
the SyrianJewish community of Brooklyn whom they
had not met. The women would be allowed to emi-
grate to the US. [NYTJ
Aug. 1. Syrians went to the polls to elect a new
People's Council. The government announced voting
would be extended to a second day because of a
poor turnout. [NYT]
Aug. 14: Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs 'Abdal-
lah al-Asnaj left Damascus after a 1 day visit for talks
with Asad. [MEED]
Tunisia
(See also, Iraq)
1977
May 20: Middle East EconomicDigest cited National
Defense Minister Abdullah Farhatas saying Libya had
 CHRONOLOGY 481

asked an Italian company to withdraw an oil explor- Necdet Ugur:Interior

ation platform from a disputed area in the Gulf of GunduzOksin: ForeignAffairs
Gabes. [MEED) Besim Ustiinel:Finance
May 27: An oil rig belonging to a US company under MustafaUstundag:Education& Culture
contract to Libya began operating in a part of the AbdulkerimZilan:PublicWorks
Gulf of Gabes claimed by Tunisia. [MEEDI Ziya Muezzinoglu:Commerce
May 28: Tunis Radio reported that a helicopter had Celal Ertug:Health
landed 6 Libyan soldiers on the oil rig. [MEEDI MehmetCan:Customs& Monopolies
May 29: Tunisia submitted a memorandum to the Arab FikretGiindogan:Agriculture
League accusing Libya of violating its territorial Erol Cevikce:Transport& Communications
waters by sending an American oil drilling platform BahirErsoy:Labor
to a disputed section of the Gulf of Gabes. [JP} TarhanErdem:Industry& Technology
June 8: Libyan Foreign Secretary 'Abd al-Salim al- Nelet Akmandor:Energy& NaturalResources
Turayki met with Foreign Minister Habib Chatti on AltanOymen:Tourism& Information
the territorial dispute. [FBIS] ErolTuncer:Housing
June 10: Tunisia and Libya signed an agreement to Ali Topuz:RuralAffairs& Cooperatives
submit their territorial dispute to arbitration at the Vecdi Ilhan:Forestry
International Court of Justice. [MEED] Yiiksel Cakmur:Youth& Sports
June 22: Premier Hedi Nouira arrived in Austria for a HayrettinUysal:SocialSecurity[TDN]
5 day visit. [MEED] June 28: Ecevit outlined his governmentprogramto
June 25: An economic cooperation agreement with Parliament.Oppositionmemberswalked out of the
Austria was signed. [MEED] session. [NYT3
July 7: Yemeni Command Council Chairman Ibrahim July 3: After being defeated in a vote of confidence
al-Hamdi arrived in Tunis on a 3 day official visit. in Parliamentby a vote of 229 to 217, Ecevit re-
[FBISI signed. [NYT)
July 15: Tunisia and Italy signed an agreement for the July 4: FormerPremierSiuleymanDemirel was asked
construction of a gas pipeline beneath the Mediter- to form a new government.[NYTI
ranean linking the 2 nations. [NYT] July 7: Ninety eightpeopleaccusedof violenceat a May
July 22: Agriculture Minister Hasan Belkhodja arrived Day rallyin Istanbulwent on trial.[NYT]
in the US for talks on bilateral cooperation. [MEED) July 21: A new Cabinetwas announced:
Siuleyman Demirel:Premier
Necmettin Erbakan:DeputyPremier
AlparslanTiirkel:DeputyPremier
Turkey SeyfiOzturk:State
SiileymanArif Emre:State
1977 SadiSomuncuoglu:State
Ali $evki Erek:State
May 29: A bomb exploded as Republican People's Necmettin Cevheri:Justice
Party (RPP) leader Bulent Ecevit arrived at an airport SadettinBilgi~:Defense
in Izmir. One of Ecevit's aides was wounded. [NYT] KorkutOzal:Interior
Bombs exploded in Ye?ilk6y International Airport IhsanSabriCaklayangil: Foreign
and an Istanbul railway station. At least 4 people CihatBilgehan:Finance
died in the blasts. [NYT] Nahit Mente?e:Education
June 3: More than 300,000 people defied an official SelahattinKili4:PublicWorks
ban to attend a rally in Istanbul for RPP leader AgahOktayGiiner:Commerce
Ecevit. [NYT} CengizG6ksek:Health
June 5: Voters went to the polls to elect a new Gun Sazak:Customs& Monopolies
Parliament. [NYT] FehimAdak:Agriculture
June 9: The Turkish Ambassador to the Vatican was YilmazErgenekon:Communications
assassinated in Rome. The "Justice Commandos for FehmiCumalioglu:Labor
Armenian Genocide" claimed responsibility for the OguzhanAsilturk:Industry
killing. [NYT] KamranInan:Energy
June 14: President Fahri Koruturk asked Ecevit to form IskenderCenapEge:Tourism
a new government. [NYT] RecaiKutan:Housing
June 21: Premier Ecevit announced the new Cabinet: TurgutYiicel:RuralAffairs
Orhan Eyuboklu: Deputy Premierand Minister of State SabahattinSavcl:Forestry
Turhan Giine?: Deputy premierand Minister of State Onol $akar:Youth& Sports
Lutfi Dogan: Minister of State Avni Akyol:Culture
Kemal Bulutoglu: Minister of State TurhanKapanli:SocialSecurity[TDNJ
Selsuk Erverdi:Justice July 26: The oil pipeline linking Iraq and Turkey
Hasan Esat I?ik: Defense rupturedin southeasternTurkey.[MEES]
482 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL

July 30: The New York Times reported that a bomb had
exploded during the night on the grounds of the
American consulate in Adana. An unexploded bomb
was later found and disarmed at the consulate
grounds. [NYT]
Aug. 1: The National Assembly voted by 229 to 219 to
confirm the Demirel government in office. [NYT}
Aug. 3: The Turkish Lira was devalued by 4.5% against
the West German Mark. [TDNJ
Aug. 4: Political violence in Ankara left 6 people dead.
[TDN}
Aug. 12: Bombs exploded at a Chamber of Industry and
Commerce office and at a grocery in Ankara, injuring
2 people. [NYTI
United Arab Amirates
(See also, Petroleum Affairs, South Yemen)
1977
May 16: Syrian Foreign Minister 'Abd al-Halim Khad-
dim arrived in Abui Dhabi from Doha for talks with
UAA leaders. [FBIS]
May 20: Sudanese Vice President al-Rashid al-Tahir
left Dubayy at the end of a 4 day official visit to
the UAA during which talks on Red Sea security
were held. [FBIS]
May 31: President Shaykh Zayd bin Sultan Al Nuhay-
yin issued a presidential directive appointing an ex-
ecutive committee for the Currency Board. [MEED]
June 16: SudanesePresidentJa'faral-Numayrimet with
PresidentShaykhZayd in AbuiDhabi. [FBISJ
June20: PakistaniPremierZulfikarAli Bhuttomet with
ShaykhZayd in AbuiDhabi. [NYTJ
June23: SomaliPresidentMohamedSiadBarrearrived
in AbuiDhabiand met with ShaykhZayd. [FBIS]
July 16: Bahrayniheir apparentShaykh Hamad bin
'Isa Al Khalifaharrivedin AbuiDhabi at the head
of a delegation.[FBIS]
Yemen
(Seealso,Egypt,Iraq,Libya,SaudiArabia,South
Yemen, Sudan,Syria,Tunisia)
1977
June 1: Yemen severed diplomatic relations with
Portugal.[NYT)
June 7: ForeignMinister'Abdallahal-A~najended a 2
day visit to Saudi Arabia. [MEEDI
June 20: Iraqi Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din
Ma'rif arrivedin $an'Xfor a 3 day visit on a tour of
Red Sea states. [MEED]
July 6: A numberof cooperationagreementsbetween
Yemen and Francewere signedin Parisunderwhich
Francewouldextendabout$205m worthof financial
assistanceto Yemen. [MEES]
Aug. 6: The Soviet Press Agency Tass said its cor-
respondentin Yemen had been orderedto leave the
country.[NYTI

SOURCES
CSM, The Christian ScienceMonitor (1 Norway St., Boston, Mass. 02115). FBIS, Foreign Broadcast Information
ServiceDaily Report:Middle East and North Africa (NTIS, US Department of Commerce, Springfield, Va. 22151).
JP, The Jerusalem Post (The Jerusalem Post Building, Romema, Jerusalem, P.O. Box 81). MEED, Middle East
EconomicDigest (84-86 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1DL, England). MEES, Middle East EconomicSurvey (P.O.
Box 4940, Nicosia, Cyprus). NYT, The New YorkTimes (229 W. 43rd St., New York, N.Y. 10036). TDN, Turkish
Daily News (Tunus Cad. 49/7, Ankara, Turkey). WP, The WashingtonPost (1 150 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.
20071).